DIY – Christmas Ornaments

Christmas tree ornaments can be so much fun. I love going to all the different stores and seeing displays of all sorts. Plastic seems to be in the running as the #1 choice this year as I can’t find many glass or clay ornaments. So I decided to make some clay ornaments of my own. Granted, it’s a very simple ornament, but once painted, sprayed with a shiny finish and hung, they are sure to look great.

Materials Needed

1 cup Cornstarch

2 cups Baking Soda

1.5 cups water

Mix the Cornstarch and Baking Soda in a pot. Mix well.

Add water and stir until smooth. It should look just like a water, only white.

Cover the pot with a lid and cook the mixture over medium heat. I stirred the pot at first, then let it sit and start to bubble. Stirring again until I got a thickness that looks much like mashed potatoes.

Remove mixture from heat, place in a cool bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Check periodically until it is cool enough to touch without burning your hands.

Kneed and roll out the dough you have now until desired thickness of ornament. I figured this step reminds me of baking cookies, so I used a bit of Cornstarch on my hands and work surface to keep the ornaments easy to handle.

Cut out to desired shapes. I used cookie cutters. Use a tooth pick to poke a hole somewhere for the ornament hook. Place on a baking sheet (Nothing needed to prevent from sticking, they won’t) Bake in the oven at 250 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven when the ornaments are hard. And Ta-Da. easy, homemade ornaments ready for decorating.

Growing up, every year we got a clay ornament with our name, and the year painted on it. From birth to now, I have mine up in my tree, and there are a few at my parents house. I really enjoy this idea, and plan to do this for my own children. When they are grown, they can take all the ornaments that have their names on it and that will be the start of their own collection. It’s hard to find the fancy ones I’m used to in my city, so these homemade ones will be a nice alternative I think. Plus, it’s a lot more personal, because I had to take the time and put in the love to make these ones.

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Katrina Radhuber

Just a small town girl living in a big city. As a mom to a Bean its my goal to create a happy, healthy living environment for my family. Get fit, be creative, have fun, learn and love. We're just trying to live the RAD life.